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South Korea squeeze into World Baseball Classic quarter-finals / Photo: © AFP
South Korea squeeze into World Baseball Classic quarter-finals
South Korea squeezed into the World Baseball Classic quarter-finals by the finest of margins after a nerve-jangling 7-2 win over Australia on Monday to finish as Pool C runners-up.
The Koreans needed to win by five clear runs at the Tokyo Dome to advance ahead of Australia and Taiwan and they were staring elimination in the face until they scored the crucial run in the ninth inning.
The result ended Australia's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals for the second successive tournament, having sensationally eliminated the Koreans in 2023.
South Korea qualified for the knock-out round in the United States along with Japan, who clinched top spot in Pool C the previous day with their third win of the tournament.
The Koreans finished with the same win-loss record as Australia and Taiwan but went through with a better tiebreak record.
South Korea held a five-run lead for most of the game but Travis Bazzana put Australia in the driving seat when he drove in a run in the eighth inning.
The Koreans had to come up with an immediate reply and they did when Australia's Jarryd Dale made a throwing error that allowed Park Hae-min to reach third base.
Park went on to score and the Koreans held firm in the bottom of the ninth inning to clinch their place in the quarter-finals.
C.Williams--SFF
